Patti Petersen, director of Bremerton Foodline, says her job is “an extension of love and a commitment to the betterment of the community I choose to call home.”

I think just about everyone who works or volunteers at ShareNet believes something similar. They believe it because they see the value of the work firsthand.

The impact is plain in clients’ faces and in their stories. In the transaction of providing food to people in crisis, it’s easy to get a window into their lives.

Vulnerability tends to make people more open, particularly once they’ve overcome whatever hurdles or shame they had and decided to seek help.  Vulnerable people in vulnerable situations tend to share. This leads to some tough stories, of life getting hard and getting hard fast, and to some wonderful ones, of help found and lives getting back on track.

Petersen went on to say, “Whenever I meet the homeless that come to our severe weather shelter, talk to a senior who can’t make ends meet, or work with a single mom whose children are going hungry, I know that spending my time here really counts. A tough day is balanced by those who just stop by for a hug, the volunteers who tell me how important this work is, and the community service volunteers who find their life has more purpose here.”

I think most of our staff feel enriched by what they do here, because it’s a simple truth that you don’t help others without being enriched yourself.

Staff members often report leaving even a tough day at ShareNet better than when they started, receiving gifts from it they didn’t even know they were receiving until later.

Despite this, it’s always a challenge to have as many volunteers as we need to do the work of ShareNet.

We have a small dedicated group who do the heavy lifting and have done it for years. Then we have a much more transient volunteer population who may be between jobs for a short time, or doing community service. Whether here for a long time or not, we salute them as real local heroes making a real difference.

People who work in social services won’t grow rich from their jobs, but they will be rich in another way, that feeling that what they gave was returned to them tenfold.

Mary Nader, director of North Kitsap Fishline, says, “I knew that I wanted to spend the second half of my life finding a way to make lives better. My work at Fishline allows me a chance to see real progress, not just for the moment, but in ways that improve lives long term. There is no greater reward than to know that you’ve alleviated suffering, offered hope or helped unleash someone’s potential.”

In spring 2014, ShareNet’s school program Food to Grow On topped the 100-students mark for the first time in our service to the four Kingston schools.  Wolfle Elementary School principal Ben Degnin says, “Over 10 percent of our student population is served by Food to Grow On. The kids love coming down to the office to get food for the weekend, because food at home can be a struggle.

“On late-start school dates, we don’t serve breakfast, and these same kids come into the office asking why no breakfast for the same reason, not enough food at home. They’re very appreciate of what ShareNet does. Many of our staff members choose to donate to ShareNet because they see the value ShareNet provides to this school firsthand.”

Petersen continued, “I come from a family of people who didn’t have a great deal but believed strongly in each person’s responsibility to the community. I grew up believing their example and passed that ethic on to my children. I do this job because I believe that hunger is a shame in this rich country and the community needs food assistance from a business run in a responsible way that they can support.”

Support of Neighbor Aid 2014, the annual campaign that keeps ShareNet going, is running behind this same point in 2013. Please help us continue our services intact by considering a donation.

ShareNet, 6061 United Road, Kingston.

Mail: P.O. Box 250, Kingston, WA 98346.

Phone: 360-297-2266.

Online: www.sharenetfoodbank.org.

— Mark Ince is executive director of ShareNet. He can be reached by calling 360-297-2266.